Forget Ice and Remember Fire
by romancebookworm4ever
Summary: Summary: Hermione is sent to the past to fix mistakes and she falls in love with Voldemort. He wants to have her be his Dark Queen, the only person who he can talk to without repeating or explaining his reasoning. Will Hermione trust him? Will she let him
1. And So It Begins

A/N: I'm starting over…literally. I've changed dramatically since I last wrote…I hope it reflects in my writing. Being so depressed really wasn't working out for me, and thanks to the someone who came along to help me out. Chapter Dedication: C and M : Congrats… you make me proud!

Summary: Hermione is sent to the past to fix mistakes and she falls in love with Voldemort. He wants to have her be his Dark Queen, the only person who he can talk to without repeating or explaining his reasoning. Will Hermione trust him? Will she let him have her?

A frosty wind swirled around the girl sitting on a bench as she stared out at the vast emptiness, her eyes sprouting clear crystal drops, each making its mark on the snow beneath her. The Shrieking Shack lay not far away and she heard students laughing across the valley. The flakes of snow dropped on her nose, making her smile softly through her tears.

"At least you don't hate me, little one," she murmured as it began to slowly melt on her nose. Her eyes closed and the darkness soothed her aching heart. The black creeped into her soul and protected her where damage had been done. She let the cold take her walls of protection up and her innocent kindness slowly slipped away as the darkness consumed her, the hatred and the pain of those who had betrayed her.

Memories began to swirl and her tears grew large and fierce, even through her dark walls. She saw horrible memories…things no one should be submitted to. She then felt a warm hand on her back and she screamed. The girl opened her eyes as she jumped up and saw the one man she wanted never to see again. Harry Potter.

"So, Hermione, communicating with your lover? Maybe that will give him some more brains, seeing as you have too many," he sneered, circling her like a beast of prey.

Hermione kept silent and watched carefully for any magical attack. Verbal attacks hurt just as much, but if the pain, though building, was kept hidden until privacy…

"Voldemort surely would love you to do that! Give up all of my secrets. My best friend, my betrayer. How kind. Surely this is the Christmas gift you wished for. The castle shuns you, the teachers frown in disappointment and the library is your only escape, how do you manage such a fate? Perhaps because you were condemned to it when you first came here!" Harry said, fire blazing in his eyes.

Hermione felt the tears coming and closed her eyes, waiting for the one escape she could not do herself. She begged him in her mind to do the task, make it easier on her, and for once, he listened.

"maybe I shall end your suffering. I think you need to go to sleep. A good long sleep…for eternity! Avarda Kedarva!" He screamed, his emotions slurring his words.

Hermione looked up horrified, and then saw the blinding yellow light, and then saw no more.


	2. Where It All Began

A/N: Thanks to my reviewers! Fondest greetings! To answer some questions, Harry was under the influence of emotion which made him incorrectly pronounce the spell's incantation which resulted in a complete different spell. I was reading a fanfic and she announced that for every writer there comes a rite of passage where one must write a time-travel fanfic. I found the words moving and plan to go through this rite of passage. Chapter Dedication: T for being all that I've always needed…

Summary: Hermione is sent to the past to fix mistakes and she falls in love with Voldemort. He wants to have her be his Dark Queen, the only person who he can talk to without repeating or explaining his reasoning. Will Hermione trust him? Will she let him have her?

A bright light shone into Hermione's eyes as she looked up. She blinked several times before being able to actually see a person standing over her. She got ready to scream as she saw an incredibly young, well, younger Dumbledore. Dumbledore looked as though he wasn't quite getting how a student could look so amazed by his mere presence. He wasn't that well known.

Hermione wasn't fazed as she began to speak rapidly and incoherently. Dumbledore raised his hand, and she stopped immediately. In a clear and soft voice, Dumbledore spoke, "My dear child, could you please tell me what has happened to you?"

Hermione, a bit perplexed, was starting to wonder what was going on. "Professor Dumbledore, Harry sent me back by accident--"

Dumbledore interrupted, "Who is Harry?"

"Professor, Harry, Harry Potter,"

"We have no Harry Potter on these grounds. Are you quite alright, Miss…"

"Granger, Professor…how is it you do not recognize me?"

A horrible thought passed though Dumbledore's mind, "Child, what year is it?" he asked tentatively.

Hermione's eyes widened and began to shrink in fear as she told him the answer. Dumbledore sighed and sat down wearily, "I am sorry to say, child, that you are more than twenty years into your past. Can you tell me what happened?"

Hermione began, "My best friend, or well, used to be, was angry because he believed I was in love with an evil man, which I am not. He spent this year turing my house and my friends away from me to where I was quite alone. One day, I was in Hogsmeade and he was angry and out of emotion stumbled on his curse…" she stopped, and bit her lip.

"Miss Granger, what was the curse?"

"The Killing Curse," she whispered, her heart breaking.

"I see. What else can you tell me?"

Hermione began to describe her life when she was sent back. Her past and her classes and she tried to refrain from revealing too much. _Dangerous things happen to wizards who change time, _she remembered.

Dumbledore sat up and began to rise, "This will be difficult. Stay here while I speak to the Headmaster. He will not be able to see you as he is extremely busy with a matter of Ministry, you understand, of course,"

Hermione nodded, taking it all in. She barely heard him walk out of the infirmary as she silently watched everybody she loved slip away in her mind. She was in the past…dear god, she wasn't even born yet, and her parents probably not even married yet! The memories swirled in her mind until tears choked her dreams and her future away from her mind and let her fall asleep in darkness.

A hand shook her awake. "Come along, child, wake up," a familiar voice said. Hermione opened her eyes and then blinked a few times remembering what was going on. He began slowly so she could remember all of this. "The Headmaster has decided that he will try to find a way to send you back. We shall keep you informed of course, but until then it has been decided that you keep your name, Miss Granger, so that no confusion can be made. You will continue your seventh year, I believe, here, and you are to be Sorted right now. I have the Sorting Hat with me right now. If you would sit up, Miss Granger…"

The Sorting Hat was placed on her head and began to talk to her, "Ah, I know this mind…well, rather will know. I never forget a person, mind you. You were once a Gryffindor, but let me check. Again, intelligence, cunning, cleverness…something different however, bravery there like a lion, but another lion has taken it away. You are being haunted by a snake…not going to be very fun for you. Since you're a bit different, I'll think you'll be greatest in SLYTHERIN!"

Hermione's jaw dropped to the floor. Dumbledore's mouth thinned but he took out his wand and conjured a set of robes and a trunk. Hermione, however, did not take her new house with pride, "Professor, I really must protest, I was a Gryffindor before, I think the Hat sorted me wrong--"

"Miss Granger, the Sorting Hat has chosen your house for a reason. Give it a chance and besides, you have no choice. The Hat has made it for you. Now in the trunk, I've placed all the essentials you will need for this school year, second hand I'm afraid, and these are your Slytherin robes and accessories. I've bought you a new wand, and we can figure out how you'll be reimbursing me later," Dumbledore said with a warm smile.

Hermione was so touched she impulsively gave him a hug. "Thank you Professor," she said, muffled in his robes. He hugged her back and then let her go as he went to the door. "Tom, you may come in now please," A boy with brown hair and a pinched, arrogant look about him came in. Hermione froze, knowing this to be Tom Riddle, future Lord Voldemort, the devil incarnate.

"Hermione, this is Tom. Tom is Head Boy here, and knows all the passwords. He will take you to your chambers. He will also explain the certain Slytherin pride, as he is in your house, Miss Granger. Now I have a couple of malt balls waiting for me taste them, I haven't had them in years. If you'd like some, stop by anytime. Oh, and by the way, here is your list of classes. I arranged them by how you described them to me earlier. Cheerio!" he said, leaving in a flutter of robes.

Tom looked at her and she froze. He held out his hand and said warmly, "Welcome to Hogwarts,"

Something in her had changed, she realized slowly, because never in her right mind would she feel a sense of liking for Tom Riddle, evil extraordinaire. Yet, her hand took his and smiled. She whispered, "Thank you,"

Tom smiled back and snapped. The trunk and sets of robes were gone in a flash and he began to explain the castle. Hermione knew of this but did not say a word. On the way to dungeons, he stopped and turned around. Hermione was silently crying as he had been ranting. "What the devil has this girl been though?" he asked himself in his mind.

He looked at her, waiting for her to realize they had stopped. He would have found it amusing how she looked confused if he had not been preoccupied with a girl crying. He reflected, _Well, I am the ladies man around here._

Hermione wiped her eyes, "I am sorry…it's just…I've lost my parents and my friends in one day, and I'm here now and I'm having a hard time coping," she said sorrowfully.

Tom was a bit frightened. His non-existent heart began to beat in compassion as he remembered all the pain and suffering one passes through as an orphan. He hardened his heart and remembered, _I have a mission, to end the inferior race, and anyone who tries to oppose me will perish. I will be the strongest, I have to be. Obviously, since she is in Slytherin, she is a pureblood, so I must befriend her and get her into my widening circle of followers. That old fool, Dumbledore won't know what hit him._

He grinned evilly and Hermione frowned. She got hurt by the way he stared at her. "Tom, if you please, I am tired and would like to rest," she said curtly, making him snap back into Head Boy mode. He continued to explain how the castle worked and where everything was, as she looked out the window. She realized it was a full moon. She smiled as she gave a small shred of hope for Remus before catching up to Tom. Finally, Tom arrived at a blank wall.

"Now, the way you can remember it's here is that there are two identical paintings on either side, both portraits of Salazar. He tends to move around from one to the other. The password is "pureblood". Don't forget it," he opened the wall to show the Slytherin common room.

There was a fireplace to one side and couches and armchairs of a green with silver lining. The walls were of chilly gray stone, and paintings of various cold landscapes only heightened the cold mood. There were two staircases in the back, one went left to show a balcony with a staircase and one to the right with the same.

"Girls dormitories are to the right, and the boys to the left. You don't have to worry, it's the guys who do. You see, the males can't go up the women's staircase, but women can go up the male staircase. It's a nice thing. Anyways, breakfast is at seven, classes start at eight. You are in the seventh years dormitories. It's Christmas break tomorrow, so everyone's hanging out with each other in the Great Hall. You'll be alone until late," he said and then hung around as Hermione studied her new surroundings.

She didn't want to be rude, so she asked, "And where are going to go?"

He looked mildly surprised she talked to him, and he answered, "Well, my friends tend to blabber on incessantly and I much prefer a nice book. I probably will sit next to the fireplace and read. I wouldn't mind if you came down and joined me as long as you aren't like every other girl in this place," he said moodily.

Hermione couldn't help laughing at his tone. He sounded like Ron whenever he blamed girls for being girls. Tom smiled. He felt different around her, even if it was entirely strange. And he so wanted to make her laugh again, it was pretty, not scratchy like the others.

Hermione sobered up and then looked at her feet uncomfortably. "I would but…I don't have anything to read. I've already read all the course books and memorized everything. And you said the Library isn't open so late,"

Tom was shocked. She didn't have anything to read. Her trunk had looked like a spare on in the basement, and he hadn't noticed that her robe had been torn. She looked horrible. He sighed and told her, "I'm afraid all I have are rare and rather large books. I prefer to call it light reading, and others tend to find it amusing how such a large book could ever be "light","

"Oh, may I see them?" she said, looking excited. Tom smiled as he got excited too, nobody ever wanted to bother him, they were too afraid. While his secret was safe and no was around, he might as well charm this chit into his circle. And a bonus, she might be a nice partner to read with. Witch Weekly was getting terribly overrated.

"Go upstairs and get changed into comfortable clothing and then come back down,"

Hermione looked through her trunk. There were her course books, a cauldron, weathered down, a set of potion ingredients, her new wand, Slytherin robes, a scarf, some mittens, and a pair of tennis shoes. She realized there were secondhand sweaters and pants. There was an assortment of turtlenecks and black pants. There were two pairs of jeans, and a few T-shirts as well. She noticed girls underwear as well. She threw on a pair of jeans and a white turtleneck and took out a pouch with a brush, comb, razor, toothbrush, toothpaste and to her surprise hair accessories. She brushed her hair out and put it up in a high ponytail making her look not half bad. She threw on a pair of socks and her shoes and went downstairs.

Tom looked up as he heard her footsteps coming down. What he wasn't expecting was her to look so beautiful. He could see her clothes were not new…in fact they looked worn and the colors had faded a bit. But she looked a lot better than before, and she smiled at him. Tom shook his head and showed her the clipboard.

"I made a list of books that I had upstairs. You can borrow any one you like as long as you give it back the way it came," he said cautiously.

"Thank you, Tom. It means a lot that you trust me with them," she said, looking through the list. One caught her eye. "May I borrow this one?" she asked.

He looked at the title and smiled amusedly. "If you insist," He called the book forward and it landed with a large thump in his arms. The book was almost the width of him. To his complete and utter surprise, she looked thrilled. She was itching to open it. He handed it to her and he began to chuckle as she sat in an armchair close to the fire and began to read. He got his own large book and sat down in the adjacent armchair, and began to read.

_I could get used to this_, his mind said, as he looked as his reading partner and back to his book. _It's nice to have someone who shares the same interest as me. Perhaps she's different from the other purebloods, but how. Something's wrong with this girl and she's not telling me. I'll get it out of her somehow, she'll see the powers of Lord Voldemort._ He looked to the fire and went to back to reading his book. The two were there until the Slytherin group began to file in, laughing and making noises, stumbling them out of their stupor. Hermione got up and went up the stairs. Tom watched her go into the room, his book in her arms sacredly, and smiled.

He then began to act Lord Voldemort and was cool and distant to all who revered him. He was simply doing his task, but enjoying it was an entirely different matter. Lord Voldemort has risen.


	3. The Truth or Not the Truth

It wasn't hard at all for Hermione to settle in with the Slytherin girls in her dormitory. Unlike her Gryffindor comrades, Narcissa, Lucile, Marie and Bellatrix were calm and serene, and didn't prattle on new beauty tricks. Instead, they sat down on their beds and calmly discussed those beauty tricks, even inviting Hermione into the discussion skillfully, taking her nose out of her book.

Never having much experience with make-up and hair, Hermione was mum for a while. Then she began to get into the conversation. These women knew what they were doing. Narcissa brought out her gray eyes by using dark colors on her eyes. Lucile and Marie, twins, both wore different shades to get some individuality, and Bellatrix wore greens, blues and browns to match her brown eyes. Suddenly, Hermione found herself in a chair conjured up by Lucile and the women were testing their beauty products on her. The mirror was enchanted so she couldn't see what was occurring to her, but the others could. They argued and compared and soon found her best look. Taking out a red, long-sleeved, silk shirt and a pair of black velvet pants, Marie dressed her up. Narcissa took out her red eye shadow and lip gloss.

Bellatrix took out a pair of fancy stilettos, and put them on, for they were of the same shoe size. Finally, Lucile allowed the mirror to show Hermione. In a matter of twenty minutes, her eyes were lined with a dash of deep red with black eyeliner and mascara defining her eyes. The shirt showed off some skin in the front, and Hermione wished she had a necklace she could put around to hide some of it. Her long bushy hair had been cut to shoulder length and was now smooth and silky, flowing straight down into a slight curve at the ends. Her complexion was flawless and the pants showed off some curves. When she stood up, the shoes gave her a regal standing, making it impossible for her to slouch.

Not only was she stupefied, but she finally accepted that she was perhaps beautiful. She took off the makeup and the clothes and went to bed silently after a soft thank you. She only wanted to sleep and wake up from this nightmare. She was in the room with the mother of her nemesis and the woman who would kill her best friend's only living godfather and wanted guardian. She didn't want to fall in love with a man who would end up killing thousands of people over what their bloodline was. She didn't want to go back either.

Life was terrible there. For months she had suffered hypocrisy in many forms. Her friends left her to fend for herself when a letter from Lord Voldemort arrived, asking for her hand in marriage. She thought everybody would shun the letter, but in fact, she soon learned the opposite effect. Lavender and Parvati both went into her personal effects and found letters Victor Krum had written to her, signed "Your Secret Admirer". They immediately assumed this was Voldemort and started spreading the word that she had slept with him.

Betrayed and sullen, Hermione Jane Granger never again darkened the doors of the Light. Ice began to frost her heart as more rumors appallingly came up. The Slytherin, sensing a defeat and a sweeter victory than could ever have been imagined, seemed to accept her. Hermione wanted no sympathy. She detached herself, spent nights sleeping where she could without being caught and not ever talking in class again. Teachers thought her now useless, a brain taken willingly, and now a stupid charge. Negligence and procrastination became her two best friends.

Days spent looking out the window at the bitter cold that came through, her breath fogging up the pane, while her tears hid her eyes from the world. She suffered through cruelties of every kind, from the most menial to the extreme. When she received hate letters, she didn't care. When she received second-degree burns, two broken fingers, and a cracked spine, she did care.

Nightmares plagued her…and this night was not different. She awoke screaming, 4 girls around her, smoothing her hair and murmuring softly. Hermione's brain hazily reflected that this was new, until she realized this wasn't that time frame anymore. Her breath came back slowly, and the girls went back to bed. Narcissa stayed by her side and took her hand. "Hermione, what's wrong? You're new here, and it's difficult I realize to come in your seventh year so late. The end of January is a difficult time for all of us," she said softly. "But I must ask, what was in your nightmare? Did it concern why you are here with us now?"

Hermione nodded, wiping a sheen of sweat from her brow. The bed was too comfortable after sleeping on cold rock floors for months. She needed to get out, hide, cry. "Excuse me," she said, throwing the covers off and pulling clothes quickly. Narcissa looked shocked and scared.

"Where are you going?" she asked nervously.

"Anywhere but here, my dreams haunt my bed still," Hermione said calmly. She took Narcissa's hand carefully, "Do not worry, I shall be in the common room,"

She grabbed the tome and went downstairs noiselessly. She placed the book in the armchair next to the fireplace and slowly began to lay beside it on the ground. Sleep could not be pushed away then. All went black.

"Hermione? Hermione, are you all right?" a voice called in the gloom. Hermione swatted the person and turned over, her back being exposed when her shirt rode up over the course of the night. "Oh my goodness, what happened to you?" the voice said, shock evident in the voice.

"Oh my goodness, just leave me alone. This is the first night where I haven't had nightmares, leave me alone," Hermione said, opening her eyes. It was still dark, the clock said it was five in the morning. The voice belonged to none other than Tom Riddle. His face was indeed shocked and concerned. She then realized that he had seen the scars from the beating.

Hermione pushed herself up quickly and pushed her shirt back down. "Good morning, are you always this awake?" she said nervously.

"Hermione, what happened?" he asked calmly, his eyes betraying his smooth tone.

It was five in the morning. She hadn't had a decent sleep in months. She was also disoriented from time-travel. At that point of exhaustion, you do whatever you have to do to get some sleep. "I was beaten brutally by my House where I come from, resulting in a cracked spine and two broken fingers. The spine broke when the whips came all at the same time by accident and the two fingers when I tried to stop one. When I was hoarse from the screams, they decided to "burn" my evil deeds and return the devil that had possessed me. The only way to do that was to tie me down and hope my robes would catch fire when it reached me.

"Lucky for me, the fire only managed to scorch my back, where my skin was most vulnerable. The nurse would have blamed this accident on me, so I healed myself. My state of pain couldn't help me very much, so I healed all my wounds, but couldn't help the scars that came up,"

She then put her head down on the book, and fell asleep. Tom felt horrible about doing something that horrible to her, but it had to be done. If he didn't use Legimens to figure out who her attackers were, he might live with the guilt that he himself might have done that pain to her. He softly caressed her mind, and she let him in, innocent as one is in sleep.

He decided to start at the beginning. He saw a mother and a father and strange Muggle devices even he hadn't seen. He began to get suspicious when she never used magic as a child. His shock began to grow as the letter from Hogwarts came and the parents looked strangely pleased, but not ecstatic that their child was going to the best school. He saw a frog being found, and the Sorting Hat. He saw a troll, and potions, and chess, and two boys, one with a scar and the other rather shabby.

He skipped through a few years and saw her with a Time-Turner and saving a man from the Dementor's Kiss. He saw her fighting and teaching others how to fight in something called the DA. What was the DA? He moved on to the beginning of her seventh year. He saw a letter coming, with black parchment and a black ribbon. She opened it and fainted, while he read what the letter said:

_My Dearest Child,_

_Congratulations on our betrothal. I hope to see you soon on the wedding arrangements. _

_Your Loving Suitor,_

_Lord Voldemort_

VOLDEMORT! HE WAS GOING TO MARRY A MUDBLOOD? No wonder all the Gryffindors looked so cruel; she was betrothed to the man who killed their traitorous families. He continued, shaking off more questions. He saw her sleeping on the floor in the castle and slipping in her grades. He saw her finally getting beaten by all of those who were in that DA thing one at a time. All the whips at the same time were no accident. He saw the boy she had been friends with try to kill her, and he pronounced the incantation wrong. That must have sent her back in time. He caressed her mind closed and got out quietly.

He had to sit down. She knew this castle, why had she not said anything when he was giving her a tour. She was from a different time-period, why was that not said either? She was a Muggle-born Gryffindor, yet she had been sorted into Slytherin this time around. She was a MUGGLE! AND HE WAS GOING TO MARRY HER IN TWENTY YEARS!

He jumped up and started at her. He tried to bring up loathing for her kind, thought about the orphanage, thought about his father, and yet, as he looked at this young woman who could very well be his only true companion since arriving here, he could not muster any hatred towards her. As much as he hated to say it, he actually liked someone. How could she be a Muggle and still have a heart? It made no sense to him. He decided the best course of action would be to ignore her and forget her. Muggles are always the same, even if they start out different.


	4. One Kiss Can Change Everything

As it turned out, he couldn't ignore her. She was in all of his NEWT level courses, and when he asked her what she was playing at, she replied she hoped to become a Master in a subject, but just couldn't pick which one, so she did all of them. He grunted and went back to his seat in NEWT Charms, wondering how she could ever manage all those courses. Tom did everything quite fine, since he copied the menial labor such as homework and essays from his sniveling followers and continued studying his notes and getting all Os.

The days and nights seemed to pass without great incident. Hermione worked all day in classes and the library, and never saw anyone go to sleep and left before they woke up. Tom and Hermione spent some rare evenings when her homework was done and when didn't have a meeting with his followers, reading tomes of work before the fire. Slowly, he began to talk more to Hermione, and she began to open up more with him. They began discussing everything from Potions to Arithmancy. They were in a heated debate at the Slytherin dining table over whether or not the beozar's stone would counter any effects created by the jeruchaqui plant, when Professor Dumbledore asked to see Hermione in his office.

She sat down, and he began his pacing around the room. He grabbed a pot with a silver lid, opened it and said, "Would you care for some bubble gum? It's fresh, I've just had it sent from the United States,"

She declined and asked, "Professor, would you please tell me what I'm doing here, I'm afraid I'm going to be late for class,"

His eyes darkened and he commenced, "Of course, of course. First letter of the day is my high recommendation to stay away from Tom Riddle. He is trouble, and will not honor you in any way by creating a relationship that you are so clearly wishing to push yourself in,"

Hermione sat shocked in her chair. How insulting could a guy be? Did he just call her a slut? Before she could counter, he began again, "The second letter of agenda is grave. We have found no way to get you back into the future, my child. You will have to stay here in the past. The third letter of agenda is that if you do not select your future university and major, there could be consequences. Only Tom and you remain the last contends from Hogwarts to either choose work or continuing education. Good day, my dear,"

He pulled her up by her arm gently and walked her to the door, and then closed it with a push in the right direction. Tom happened to be coming by to see if she was coming to class or not, when he saw what happened. Hermione seemed to back into the stone wall, and crumpled. He heard sobs and starting to run towards her. "Sweet Merlin, Hermione, what's going on?" he said as he came closer.

She looked up quickly, tears flying in all directions. She saw him coming closing in on her and began to get up to run. She was just about to sprint when he caught her arm. "Oh no you don't. You're going to come with me, we're going to go to class, and then we're going outside and you're going to explain whatever the hell's wrong with you,"

He took her bag, and grunted with the effort of carrying it up the stairs. She stared at him struggling, and then took it, slung it over her shoulder, and walked up the stairs.

He smiled and followed her up. The rest of the day was hell for her, and heaven for him. While she took notes, he was allowed to copy them for once. While in a lecture, he was able to hold her hand when she seemed ready to break down and cry. She had nice, soft hands but they had some calluses from all the wand handling she did. Finally, when the classes were over, he took her hand again, and led her to the tree by the lake. The students who watched the Slytherin King, the one who never showed emotion, take a girl by the hand and drag her outside, were more than a little shocked.

When Hermione heard someone faint behind her, she couldn't believe what she had heard and kept letting him drag her along. It was kind of nice to be led around actually. His hands were rough and hard, but that didn't seem to be unpleasant. She couldn't remember the last time someone took her hand like this and dragged her someplace private. Then again, what boy besides Victor Krum wanted to go somewhere in private with the Gryffindor know-it-all.

On the other hand, she was a Slytherin bombshell now, since Narcissa couldn't help but do her hair and make-up every morning. She said it made her day, so Hermione couldn't refuse. She was well-liked and people sat next to her. She started to enjoy the wonders of artificial beauty. Finally, Tom stopped and made her sit down next to him and expressed his command from earlier to explain the situation to him.

Dilemma. Hermione sat there, his hand pulling insistently for an answer she could very well die for giving. Her life as she knew it no longer existed, in fact, could have never existed up until now. She could make something up, or tell him the truth. The truth would forever damn herself in his eyes, which could be nice so she could continue her studies as usual, but she was getting lonely. Months alone on floors and suppers on the edge got tiring.

Time for a new life. She was sick of letting people walk all over her. She was the brightest witch of her age wasn't she? It was high time she acted like it. Voldemort was stupid. He would lurk in this teenager, festering his hatred for her kind and a love for violence and pain. She could use cunning and compassion to lure the evil out of him before he turned completely into the dark. It was alright to be evil when evil didn't hurt anyone. It was ok to be good when good didn't hurt anyone either. Time to change two people.

The truth can't hurt him, if she didn't disclose everything she knew. "Tom, I'm not from here at all. I'm from Hogwarts, have been all my life. I know where the Room of Requirement is and I know all the secret passageways, even one that goes to Honeydukes in Hogsmeade. I brewed Polyjuice potion in my second year in order to find out who was opening the Chamber of Secrets," she said softly, her fingers brushing over his. The news startled him, she found out who opened the Chamber? Then how the hell was she sitting with him?

"I'm a proud member of the DA, or Dumbledore's Army. We collaborate against evil Headmistresses that use quills to kill us. Don't ask, long story, and it's particularly brutal. What I'm trying to say is that I've been here already and obviously not from this time period. All the stuff we are currently handling right now in NEWT level Charms is what I did for my OWL testing. All the time I've been spending in the library is continuing my original courses. The reason I'm here is because in the past I've had some social problems and they've suddenly caused problems.

"You've seen my back, and the story behind that, cruel, to use my sleep against me, but you are cunning. More incidents like that have happened and this is the consequence of a friend saying the wrong words to the Killing Curse. I'm here. And when you saw me this morning, Professor Dumbledore told me there was no way I could return to my time. Dangerous things happen to wizards who play with time. I don't know how I could be altering history by being here. He also told me to stay away from you. You're a bad influence or something like that,"

After her speech, she felt tired and lay her head on his shoulder. His head came down slowly, as if he was afraid she'd leave, on top of hers. His hand closed in on hers and, on impulse, lifted it to his lips and kissed it. She sighed softly as if she enjoyed it, and said carefully, letting her hand rest on his cheek. "Hermione, since you're stuck here, maybe you should start trying to like it in the past. You've been trying so hard to get out of here, that you haven't really noticed how nice it'd be to be in the past,"

Hermione moved her head so she could see him, and then said, "You're right. I've been so busy studying; I haven't had time to notice life passing me by, past and future. I think I might like the past if I just took the time to notice it,"

Tom starting getting closer. "Do you notice me?"

She moved in too, looking mesmerized, "Yes, I think I do,"

Tom realized what he was doing too late. His soul had done his job for him. The minute his lips brushed up against hers, something in him faded and withered, screaming for mercy. He tried to hear it, but something warm and full of light filled up the void as soon as she began to respond to him. The kiss continued to augment his senses, he felt renewed, and cherised. He felt her in him, healing and curing the hatred in his heart. The kiss began to get fierce and he felt the lust for her, the lust to have her as no other teenage boy would have her. He wanted her now, forever, everywhere at once and with him, always with him. One kiss was all it took to love her.


	5. News FlashVoldemort Gets a Heart

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews…I will try to make Tom a little rougher…I've been making him soft and cuddly, but you'll understand me when I say every guy has to be cuddly at some time, they can't be pointy evil warlocks all the time…

Tom realized what he was doing too late. He pulled away from her, pushing her as far away as he could, and glared. He snarled back in protest, keeping her warm hands anywhere but him, "Hermione, I can't help but wonder…you said you were part of Dumbledore's Army, so that means, you weren't a Slytherin in the future. You were a stupid Mudblood Gryffindor! You hid in your alcoves, not ever trying to convince those who betrayed you. How sad that a Gryffindor is so weak,"

Hermione's eyes brimmed with moisture as she got emotional. She just had the most amazing kiss of her young life, and he had to ruin it. "You were the one who kissed my hand, Riddle. You don't have to insult me because I'm a Muggle-born. You're only a half-blood too. Don't you think that's a bit hypocritical?"

His eyes flashed with something red and his pupils narrowed into the future slits. They left shortly after, but his anger was still the same. "You're knowledgeable. You know that I was the one who set the basilisk in the Chamber to kill that Mudblood Myrtle. You know I have already succeeded in finding out how to make a Horcrux and am working on my first at this very moment. You are nothing but a thorn in my side, preventing me from my destiny, to eradicate your kind, who have shunned our people into secrecy and deceit. You will deserve the same kind of misery they do,"

Hermione's eyes went hard and cold against him, and he felt the change in her. He had spent enough time wooing women into his group, that she wasn't in an accomadating mood. No, she was honing in her rifle to shoot him down hard and then leave with a huff. Tom decided she wasn't going tohave the last word. "You were going to be my Dark Queen, Hermione. But, think of this, a Mudblood Queen killing off her own kind? How hypocritical would that be?"

"Did you ever believe that I could ever be anything that what I was? You were born the Heir of Slytherin, you were handed trials unknown to man or beast, and you had to fight your way through childhood, learning that Muggles are only cruel and self-serving. I was hoping I would be a breath of fresh air to you Tom. What you are going to become isn't even towards Muggles. Those Horcruxes are going to tear you apart so much, you'll have only your hatred, and that is going to be your downfall,"

"Are you going to start about how love and friendship is going to save me? Spare me the Dumbledore lecture. When there is work to be done, and a different willing woman in my bed each night, what do I need those for?"

He could see that had hurt her. He felt vulnerable, he felt like his heart was being stolen from him and he couldn't help it. He couldn't become soft, not now with his plans and all. He had to be strong and not submit. However, some small part of him, a part he felt had her warmth and smiles inside, seemed to hurt beyond any pain given to him. Hatred ate him with anger. Pain fed him more hatred. Remorse and guilt seemed to have the opposite effect. He was getting emotional too, his once-dormant heart now aching with guilt over his words.

Hermione spoke up, her voice so soft he couldn't help but have another heart-squeeze, "When you are dying of old age or by accident, who will be there to hold you tight? Who will make sure you are remembered as a good man and not a murderer of millions? When you are awake at night, and your whore has left, who will kiss you in the morning? Who will be there to wipe your brow when you are working hard, and to make you laugh? Who will be there caring for those children you made, and smiles when you walk in the door, sighing about how hard work was today?

"When you are tired and sore from your killings, will someone be there to hold you close and let you forget? Will I be there to read with you? Will I be there to hold you if you need the Mudblood to forget? Will I be there in chains while you force me to do your research because you are too busy trying to conquer the world?

"Too bad, Riddle, that I will not be there. I am going to stay away from you, and am going to finish my schooling. Then I will disappear, and you will never hear of me again," she said, a bit stronger that she was right in every sense. She turned and walked away, her heart clenching. Her disappointment in him was so strong, she went down to the Slytherin Common Room, and up the stairs to her dormitory. Making sure no one was there, she made use of her pillow for the first time in months.

Tom sat down at the tree, looking out at the lake, and pondering what she had said. He was lonely, all the time to be exact. He wondered if his life would be different if he pretended she was pureblood and dated her. He couldn't think of anything malovent with her. His mind screamed with the urge to make her the sacrifice for the next meeting, but his soul, whole and still relatively new, couldn't bear the thought of it.

He wanted her in his bed for sure. He was a teenager, and she was intelligent. She wouldn't fake on her life. Not to mention that kiss was unlike any he had bestowed on another girl before. There was magic between them, a low and soft hum that seemed to glow from inside him. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he loved her. He loved her enough not to ask her to be with him as his Dark Queen.

He smiled at the lake. Dark Queen. She'd spit in his face and list all of the friends and family of hers he had killed and declare that she would sooner die than join him. He was faced with a decision of such magnitude, he couldn't believe himself. He was weighing Hermione against his hatred and followers.

The decision should be easy, his mind reasoned. However, his soul and heart, siding together for the first time in known history, closed his mind and reminded him of her words. What did he truly want? Did he want to sleep on a bed made of bones of the children he'd killed, and wake up alone every morning, thinking of the next kill and more ways to be immortal, or did he want something else? Did he want to sleep in warm bed filled with a warm, sweet woman and velvet sheets, and wake up in her arms to the sound of children's laughter and screams of joy?

He thought of his childhood. He could be different for another boy, be the father his could have never been. He could show the ways of the Dark to him, while telling him to use it only for defense against others. If Hermione was so warm, how could all Muggles, especially the ones who had raised her and been friends with her, be bad?

"Hello, Tom!"

"Tom!"

"What's new, Tom?"

To his great disappointment, Lucius Malfoy, Robert Crabbe, and Howard Goyle were sitting near him. He fought the urge to sigh and shoo them off, and listened to them complain. Finally, they asked him the question they'd been burning to ask.

"Are you dating Granger?" Crabbe asked, his lack for subelty never more present.

Tom was now faced with a dilemma. He had to choose between Hermione and Death Eaters under the pressure of time. He kept thinking of the little boy he could help, and the home he was being offered. He then stood up, breathing heavily. His mind was all jumbled, he couldn't think.

"I'll call you later, all of you, to explain the matter. Leave me, and you will soon be rewarded," They left him, puzzled, and he sat down, his frown evident. The more he thought of his hatred, the more Hermione's words popped up to counter it. He couldn't get the boy out of his mind, his urge so great to create him, to make him real, to protect what he never could have done for himself. Finally, he gave up trying to fight it.

He stood up, walked down to the Slytherin Common Room, and looked up the girl's staircase. He heard distant sobbing, and heard the muffled words of "Stupid for even believing he could change! Leopards never change their spots!"

His eyes widened. He remembered that maxim. He lifted his head and called out, nobody in the Common Room to bother him, " Hermione Jane Granger, come down here this instant,"

He heard a gasp, and frantic scurrying. Apparently she was trying to repair the damage her crying had done. She ran to the top of stairs and frowned. "You called, oh so benevolent Master of the Universe?"

He smiled and beckoned, "I did. I need to talk to you,"

"And what could be so important and rare that you would need a stupid Mudblood to do so,"

"An apology and perhaps some help?"

Her eyes flickered with some emotion he couldn't quite recognize and she came down. He took her hand, squeezed it, and began with great difficulty. "You were right, Hermione. I don't want to wake up alone. I want to wake up holding you in my arms, having my good-morning kiss on my cheek as our children run in and jump on the bed screaming about presents on Christmas Day,

"I know I'm a prick, but this prick doesn't like who he's becoming, and his hatred shouldn't be his main goal in life. Can you help me dispel my Death Eaters?"

Her eyes seemed to glisten again, and she wrapped her arms around him. He looked nervous and hesitantly patted her back. She started talking, "Apology accepted. Death Eaters. Did you promise them anything? Glory, eternal life, a girl perhaps?"

He showed her the list of Death Eaters and the prizes they sought. Every one wanted glory and fame. Some wanted to be rich and others wanted revenge. All were purebloods. Checking the list over again, Hermione sighed. "Tom, this couldn't be more complicated. You've got plans that go up until the end of the year. They're all excited about it. We're going to have to be cunning. They've all got rotten brains from inbreeding anyways.

"Here's what I think. Keep acting like nothing's wrong. Tell them you were going to ask me to be a Death Eater, and I declined on my mother's health or something. There is no relationship between us,"

Tom looked startled and opened his mouth to speak up, when she interrupted, "However, what they don't know won't hurt them. We can continue a secret relationship outside of peering eyes. I have ways to communicate without being seen. We're partners in every class anyways. I'll just have to suck in all the insults, and we'll be fine,"

"I don't want to call you foul names, it hurts in this area, and I can't figure out for the life of me why!" Tom said, pouting a bit as he patted his chest.

Hermione smiled, and said, "That's your heart, Tom. Good thing you have one. Anyways, although I hate to say it, keep going on with what you've been doing, but please don't enjoy it, I'll be very disappointed if you are. Then, tell your followers, that you are going to go on a reconnaissance mission across the world. You'll be taking me as insurance towards anything you do not recognize. Let them forget you for a little while, while we are at college, and then write letters of what your doing and explain how you will continue your work at a later time.

"Just don't mention that later will be never. They'll forget,"

He stared at her for ten minutes, thinking of flaws. She was right, they were immeasurably stupid. The plan could work. "Hermione, can you survive two months being sneered at?"

She looked up at him and understood what he was going through, noting he didn't. He fell in love with her, and he was trying to fight his way against it. He wanted nothing more than to continue his work, but he couldn't. That kiss had affected him too, however, a bit more emotionally than hers. Hermione knew he had found his long-lost soul and heart, and was confused by it.

She smiled at him and nodded. "As long as you make sure you don't mean it,"

He grinned and picked her up in his arms. "That can be arranged," and he winked at her. He was finally home.


	6. All Good Things Must Come to an End

Hermione sighed as she woke up on the floor, opening her eyes in the small alcove of the Slytherin Common Room. Something was acutely different when she woke up, she noticed a robe had been transfigured into a pillow and a shirt into a blanket. She was quite cozy, and had remained asleep without horrible dreams.

She lifted her head, performed the normal routine charms to get ready without waking anyone up and went to the library. After months of secrecy, Tom and Hermione's relationship had blossomed. She had spent the whole night discussing their future with him in the Room of Requirement, making sure no one could hear, nor see.

As a teenage couple, they had been relatively good. Hermione had made it clear she would not allow him full access to her body until he had proved himself worthy. As a boy, confused by the female sex, Tom was dumb-founded and had spent the rest of the week sulking. His sulking was abandoned once he realized that both of them had managed to enter a high-level university, one in the middle of the Caribbean, on a French-speaking island.

Tom had continued his work with the greatest reluctance. He was not ready to enjoy what he had so clearly before strived to take every pleasure. His followers sensed this, and became cautious. Connections were being made to Hermione and Tom, and Tom knew it was only a matter of time before the uprising. He got up from his bed and got ready. He knew Hermione was already in the library, his shirt and robe transfigured back into the original state.

He hurried and caught her as she left the library. She smiled and winked. He understood completely. He walked into the Room of Requirement and suddenly, there was a small loveseat, table and warm fire. Hermione walked in after him, her books leaving an indent into her robes. "So, Tom, how was your night?" she asked calmly, not wanting to betray her fears that he might think she wasn't enough to risk his life for.

Getting up, Tom grabbed her, and kissed her thoroughly. "you're worth every minute," he said, nuzzling her nose softly. "I have a present for you," he said, and laughed when her face light up.

He brought out a silver chain with a locket on it. Hermione looked surprised. Tom usually brought her new books, but never jewelry. "Hermione, this chain has two purposes. Firstly, if you say 'justice will be served' it will show me wherever I am, and I will not know you are watching me. Second, if you just open it, it plays a song. I know you tend to sing, so I've put in two or three that I thought were worth having. You'll figure out why I have them on," he said, while attaching the chain to her neck. She felt a warm tingle as the locket touched her skin, and realizing he'd given her more than a mere portable music box.

Not only was his trust in her so great that he was allowing her free reign of him, but also had placed as many protection spells so she could never be magically hurt by anyone. She smiled at him, and they were about to kiss when they heard a scream from outside the door. They ran out, looking for some poor person. The couple looked everywhere, and couldn't find anyone, so they went to breakfast together.

Lucius watched the two enter and turned to Crabbe, "I feel that that Granger girl may be having an effect on our lord. Perhaps we should show him that our loyalty remains to him forever, and to no small girl with no proof that she is indeed part of us,"

They made plans for Hermione and decided that tonight was the perfect time to do it. The day passed slowly as usual, and once Tom kissed Hermione goodnight, they attacked.

Hermione gasped as she felt a cold hand on her back. Lucius's voice came into her ear, "Your sweet little Tom might be hurt tonight if you don't come with us," Hermione forgot all about protecting herself, Tom was in trouble. While they were walking outside, Hermione noticed a small group of boys. They looked like they were one-years. Two of them, one with dark, shaggy hair and the other with unruly, black locks and brown eyes, were trying to talk to a crying blond-haired boy. Behind the trio, there was a small pudgy boy, obviously trying to decide whether he should go over.

Hermione smiled as they passed, and the boy she knew who was called Sirius said loudly, "You'll see, I'll teach you how to get that girl away from those two gits," She had to bite her tongue from laughing. She remembered how sullen and mature Sirius was after Azkaban, and she sobered up, knowing the pain he was going to have to go through for his friends.

She wasn't with Lucius anymore, she realized. He had nodded at Crabbe, and the latter had proceeded with kicking her in the back. She fell to her knees, and Lucius took his boot, and pressed on the same point. She was on the ground panting in pain, when they began to kick her in the stomach and head. She was soon bleeding from the mouth with a broken lip, her nose and one or two ribs were more likely broken, and she felt like her leg had something wrong it in.

They picked her up by her arms and dragged her to a small clearing in the woods. She felt the wards pass and noticed now all the students standing in a circle and Tom was in the middle, discussing plans. He noticed Crabbe and Malfoy, and demanded in a cold voice, "Why are you two late?"

The students moved back and let the two men drag Hermione in. Since she had blood all over her face, he didn't recognize her. "What offal do you bring before me now?"

"Only a prize we think everyone should torture for intiation," Crabbe said, while Lucius pointed his wand at his lord and muttered, "Imperio,"

Tom knew he was being manipulated the instant it hit him. He fought it, but it caught him off guard. The spell made him look closer at the body gasping for breath. His mind closed in horror as he realized that it was Hermione.


	7. Time Flies When You're Dying

A/N: I know you're going to think, what the heck, when you begin this, but never fear, I will come to your aid. Thank you everyone for such thoughtful reviews. Remember, I do try to take every review seriously, and if anyone has a suggestion they would like to see done, please let me know.

FIVE YEARS LATER:

The pot was boiling. Hermione hurried from her living room to lower the heat from her stove. She spooned out the contents into a bowl and sat in front of her table, her mind closing off anything but the taste of her chicken noodle soup. She tried to do everything to get that fateful night out of her head, so she began by thinking of what had occurred since.

She had survived the night, to her amazement, and returned to her studies in secret under Professor Dippet. She transferred from the little university she had been planning to go to, and instead went to the magical equivalent of Harvard, only instead of Business, it was the Healer Academy. She had just recently graduated with honors, at the top of her class, and had already been given the position of Head Healer at Mungo's.

She never dated again. How could she, after…NO!!!!!!! Hermione shook her head. There was no use talking about the past, it gave more pain than good. She stood up and turned off the lights. The newspaper still faintly glowed with the picture of the Dark Mark, a green light softly dimming the room. Hermione looked towards the picture, her eyes brimming with tears too long withheld.

She had never cried. She would never cry. She quickly wiped the tears away and got ready for bed. Her 4-room apartment was a luxury now that she could afford it. A large bedroom with a king bed, a bathroom with a full in-ground bath, a kitchen with all the latest in magical technology (although she wished they would invent a decent dishwasher more quickly), and a living room with a fireplace for communication.

Hermione soon found herself under the covers for only one second when she realized she wasn't alone. "Hermione," a voice whispered. Was it her or did that voice sound pleading? She sat up quickly and grabbed her wand.

"Lumos," she whispered, hearing a footstep coming from the door closest to her. The room was plunged in light and she saw him. Not Tom Riddle, but Lord Voldemort. Big, red eyes and slits for nose holes, and the lack of a human color in his skin could never be mistaken for anything else. She looked away, not afraid of him. "Oh, Tom, you've let him take over you. Look what you've become," she whispered again.

He laughed loudly, a high-pitched squeal that went down deep into her heart and seemed to carve another scar. "I've become the most powerful man in the world! Everyone fears me, I am in the paper everyday, and no one will ever successfully beat me," he screeched.

"Then why are you here? Obviously you've torn out your heart since you could not possibly kill innocent people with such disdain with one, so I have no effect on you," she said bravely, getting up and walking over to him, her eyes aglow with fury. "You have no reason to torment me futher. You have more than enough damage as it is! GET OUT!" she started screaming, her tears finally being let out.

Lord Voldemort's eyes suddenly flickered something, a hint of color that once was. She stopped sobbing as he came closer. He took her in his arms, and her betraying heart let her lean into his embrace. He began to whisper into her ear, "You see, my dear, you are the only one who can kill me. The only one to whom belonged that dormant heart of mine. If you kiss any of my Horcruxes, they will simply vanish, for my soul wants to be with you, not apart. They will return to my body, and will not be separated again,"

His voice began to chill her, and she realized the embrace was nothing but a hoax. He had grabbed her wand, and was now using it behind her back. "I need two things from you in order for you to survive. The first, a promise. That you will not go looking for my soul. The second, a task. One that will last approximately nine months for each heir. A lord must have children to pass down his reign upon," he whispered, his other hand bringing her closer.

A sharp sound brought him shock. Hermione was out of his arms, and she had slapped him. "How DARE you! After what you've done, you simply waltz in here like the masochistic snake you are, and demand, as if I were the humble servant, that I give you heirs! Not even children, not even new life, just an heir to which you can manipulate. A child is a miracle, not a puppet on which you hold the strings!

"It's not even me you want anymore, Lord Voldemort. You used to love, used to kiss, hug and laugh! You are now the very hatred you were combating Tom. How can I condemn a child to same fate they will not choose for themselves? As for the Horcruxes, I shall NEVER go looking for them. Might I remind you, you took out a piece of my heart that night. The part that loved you the most. As well as something else. I will never try to find Tom. He's already dead,"

She moved away and grabbed her spare wand. She turned around, but it was already too late. Lord Voldemort was gone. Then she felt it. The replica of a memory. He had put it on her! She soon sank into the abyss.

_Hermione was laying on the ground before Tom, covered in blood, most likely fighting to stay conscious from the pain of her broken bones. You could see from the eyes of a watcher that there was enormous pain in Tom's eyes, but even more in Hermione's. She knew what he had to do in order to survive. Finally, Tom stepped forward towards her and began to pronounce words. "This girl loves me! Do you know what happens when a man cuts out the part where the soul and heart meet of the woman who loves him?_

"_UNIMAGINABLE POWER! But at a cost. The woman will either die of loss, or the soul will reweave itself to the heart. The heart will have the most damage, for it can never love another than the man who cuts it. The man however, will become the very emotion he has most in his heart, and wreak havoc upon the world. Shall I cut her heart?"_

_Hermione knew he was lost. Tom was dead. Lord Voldemort now reigned over Tom's body, and the man who loved her was now extinguished forever. The locket burned against her skin and she realized the protective charms were gone. She was stripped down before she couldmutter a word, and a horrible incantation was pronounced. She felt herself leave her body, and three shapes stood above her. _

_The mind was very bright, a yellow pulse that seemed to light everyone's faces, leaving nothing in the dark. Her soul was a blue river that flowed around her, flashes of memories within it. Her heart was connected to it, a red glow from her love for Tom, fading into pink and a small rainbow up until the blue river. Streaks of red passed through the rainbow and threaded itself within the river. _

_Tom came closer with a small gold knife, and soon was on top of her body. Her mind seemed to shake and pulse more quickly as she struggled against Tom, but she was in bad shape, and he quickly began to use her for his pleasure. He grunted when he was spent, and a glimpse of Tom's anguished eyes passed through the red haze. Too soon, the red haze covered his eyes again, and the knife began to slit through the red to the blue. She screamed in pain as her mind dimmed and her heart started to freeze. Her soul stopped the streaks of red when the connection was lost, and Lord Voldemort held a glowing rainbow in his hand. A servant came up with a gold box, and he placed the small rainbow in it. _

_Hermione saw her heart, once a beautiful red glow, now a clear crystal, seemingly lifeless. Her soul went gray with sorrow, and her mind still glowed, not affected by emotion. Hermione soon blacked out. _

_She awoke in the infirmary with Professor Dippet beside her. He offered her secret courses, as long as she never went into the halls alone and never spoke of this ever again. She agreed and as she learned, ate, and slept alone, she tried to heal. Tom left the school right after the incident, and went to kill his father. The house became headquarters, and therein lays the beginning of the War. _

Hermione awoke with her heart crushed by the ice that now encased her dying heart. She had done research on the spell he had used, and was horrified. She would live 4-6 years after the spell if her heart was not reattached to the missing part. She knew her time was severely limited because of the crushing. Hermione's heart was literally being deprived of oxygen to the point that she would have moments where the ice was holding in her swelling heart. The ice would then let in some air, but just enough so that it would occur again. The ice was slowly giving her less oxygen and less time between "crushings".

Today, this was her first crushing. She'd have another in ten minutes. In about two months, there would be three a day, and in about four months, five a day. She had calculated that she had no less than 6 months to live. She frankly was glad for the deadline. It was her enough time to drink herself into a stupor, forget she was going to die, and lie on her couch for hours with a good headache to ease the ice.

She then gasped out loud. A hand was on her shoulder. Her wheezing was so continuous, that she had to gasp out every word, "Why. Aren't. You. Gone?" Voldemort's hand went on her heart, and the ice let in the small amount of oxygen immediately. Hermione relaxed, and murmured, "Thank you,".

She was pulled up and went to cleaning up the kitchen. Voldemort followed her. "I know I must seem like the evil man extraordinaire, but I'm going to talk with you," he murmured.

Hermione glared at him and put on her kettle of water for some tea. He sat down at her small glass table and watched her get out the small cookies and sugar. She had just set the platter with the tea down when she had her second crushing. The ice seemed to take revenge for the reprieve she had been accorded ten minutes earlier. She dropped to her knees and gasped for breath, short bursts that would have made any Muggle think it was an asthma attack.

Voldemort immediately stood up and groaned. "How many of these do you have already?" He pushed her hands away and started to take off her shirt. She began to protest and cough, until he pressed his palm against the naked skin above her heart. He stayed there long enough that some of the ice had melted. After twenty minutes, she realized in what a position they were in. Lord Voldemort was on top of her, her shirt discarded, so she was half-naked. Lord Voldemort seemed to have the same thought at the same time, and looked down at her.

She gasped and covered herself. He laughed softly, a deep laugh that came from within him. Hermione looked at him in wonder and then had a thought. She began to press her hand against his heart. He gasped at his eyes returned to the original color. Hermione began to cry. "You're alive," she whispered.

"Of course I am, Hermione. I've been down deep somewhere in this body and I don't know what's been going on. I see glimpses sometimes when I fight really hard, and it usually takes me about a month to recuperate. What happened?"

"He cut the rainbow piece of my heart and raped me the night he took over you," she said, hugging him closer to her body, but never taking her hand off his heart.

Tom's eyes seemed to flicker with red and he said quickly, "He's fighting me, Hermione. I can't undo what he did, but I can do something. You have to do whatever he says, do you hear me? Let him think you love him, and then give him the child he wants. Ask for your rainbow heart piece in exchange. If you still love me at all, we can be together if you kiss all the Horcruxes and Lord Voldemort's lips once they are all destroyed," he said, then groaned with pain.

"I love you Hermione, please don't forget that. I'm sorry this happened. I'll make it up to you if you let me. Don't touch his heart too often or he'll think it's a conspiracy," he said, wincing, and then took his hand off her heart and grabbed her face. Tom kissed her like they had never kissed before. This was a man desperate for his woman kiss, the kind that makes you dizzy with worry afterwards. " Do you still love me?" he asked, his eyes starting to get hazy.

"I love you, Tom,don't go!," Hermione screamed, trying to press harder against his robes.

"The child, Hermione, the child," he whispered hoarsely and then there was aswirl of red and Voldemort was back.

"You impertinent bitch!"he said, hitting her against the face.

"My lord! I will give you your child on two conditions!" she said before he could hit her again. He lowered his hand, and his eyes looked greedily upon her body. He grabbed her breasts and kneaded painfully.

"And what would these conditions entail?" he said, gazing up and down her body.

"The first is that I need my rainbow heart piece back, for I will not live out to full term otherwise," she said, trying not to throw up at her disgustment.

Voldemort seemed to think it over, and looked at her. "All right, and the second?"

"I want Tom and you to have turns. Tom would have me the next time, and then you, and then Tom, ect."

"This is a pricey condition. I don't like to share anything," he said, his eyes angry.

"You're sharing a body, aren't you?"

His eyes went blood red and then they calmed. "Too true. All right, I'll grat your condition with one of my own,"

Hermione gulped as he opened his mouth to speak, "I expect you in my bed every night up until your 5th month of pregnancy. Until then, it will only be me. Then you may have Tom. I will send for you tomorrow,"

As he left, Hermione wondered if she should take fertitily drugs or a potion. Either way, she had to get Tom out quickly, before Voldemort did anything worse than what he was doing. She put on a cloak and ran off to the lab.


End file.
